


i hope that counted as a first date

by grootmorning



Series: the best thing about high school was you [2]
Category: The Gifted (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, First Dates, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, they're just really cute okay let me live
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-04-30 18:22:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14502822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grootmorning/pseuds/grootmorning
Summary: It's something new and something uniquely them.





	i hope that counted as a first date

It wasn't like Clarice had been pacing her bedroom waiting for John's truck to pull up in front of her house. And it wasn't like she'd thrown out half the clothes in her closet onto the bed to figure out what she was going to wear. Certainly not, she'd just decided to do some organising in the spare time that she had. And that was the story she was sticking with

Dress comfortably, John had said, smiling as he dropped her off after school. Her hands twisted nervously in the plaid shirt that she'd put on over the soft plain black tee she always loved (and he said she looked nice in). She had no idea what he had planned and so just in case, she'd opted for jeans too.

It was like the hour passed in a blur and before she knew it, she was sitting in his truck, off to who knew where and he had already promised her foster mom to have her back by ten.

Looking for something to do with her hands, Clarice began to fiddle with the radio, humming along to the different music she was switching between. The fond look that John shot her behind her back went unnoticed and he schooled his reaction back to concentrated as she glanced at him. 

A few minutes passed before a large hand covered hers, tugging her attention away from the console. She could feel her cheeks heating up as John pulled her to sit upright again, holding her hand warmly in his, and balancing their linked hands on his thigh as he continued driving to wherever they were heading. 

Clarice was sure her face was mirroring the small smile on his right now, and she opted for staring straight ahead at the road, biting at her lip to keep from grinning too wide. 

This all felt so new to her. John going from her friend to her, what was he now, her boyfriend? Were they together officially now? Or did someone have to say it for it to be official? Or were they just in the dating phase before it became official? Question after question began popping up and she was jerked out of her thoughts when they bumped over a pothole.

But in that instant, John's hand tightened over hers in reflex, and the warmth felt like it was travelling up her arm and into her chest. Clarice felt tingles all over, and she sank a little deeper into her seat, smiling away.

-

"Really?"

"It's a fun date activity!" John said defensively, locking his doors and moving towards the facility.

"Said who? Marcos?" Clarice hurried after him, matching his pace.

His shoulders hunched, "Yeah."

"And have you seen Lorna bowling? Ever?"

"Nobody in their right mind would give Lorna an eight pound ball to throw around, we all know that. Which is exactly the reason why the four of us have never been bowling, ever," John snorted. His steps faltered and he seemed to come to a decision within himself before putting his arm around her thin shoulders.

Clarice nearly tripped at the conract, and his grip on her tightened, keeping her upright. Her teeth worried her lip again, trying to keep herself from smiling too widely at the sudden flip her stomach did.

"Okay?" John asked softly, staring resolutely ahead.

They both knew he wasn't asking about her nearly tripping.

Clarice nodded, unable to trust her voice to keep steady in that moment. She leaned in closer to his warmth, and they entered the bowling alley like that.

John paid for their shoes and their lane as Clarice hurried around gathering up a few of the balls she thought they could use. She had to use two hands to carry the ones she thought John might use but hey, better to get them first before other people got to them. And sure, she might have gotten a tad few more than they needed. Shoot her for being zealous.

"Did you get me the heaviest ball?" John asked incredulously as he watched her lace up her shoes.

"I figured John Proudstar with all his muscles could handle the heaviest ball," Clarice mustered up the most faux-shocked tone she had, hiding her face behind her purple hair to avoid bursting into laughter.

"Hardy har har. We'll see who's laughing after I smoke you."

"In your dreams."

"Well then, ladies first."

"No, we all know the man has to show the female what he can do. Go on then," Clarice dipped into a little curtsey, laughing as John wrinkled his nose at her.

Picking up a slightly lighter ball, John took his position and lined up his shot ...

And threw an immediate gutter ball.

Clarice burst into laughter before the ball even made its way down the lane. John looked back at her with a wounded expression on his face, making his way back and bopping her on the nose. The next ball he threw wasn't any better, and neither was Clarice's laughter getting softer.

This felt normal. The bantering, the challenging each other. It was reassuring to know that that part still remained the same. Clarice liked that their strong friendship still remained, and it was like an extra layer of affection had covered it, added to it. The feeling sat comfortably in her gut as she rose to pick her ball.

She took up her position. Letting out a breath, Clarice let muscle memory take over, and bowled a perfect strike. She turned around to face John's astonished expression, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

The satisfaction she felt looking at his completely astounded expression was coupled with the overwhelming surge of desire to pat his cheek as she sat down. She indulged herself by patting his arm at least, breaking him out of his trance. 

"H - how -"

Clarice almost felt bad for him, and patted him again. "Mom used to take bowling lessons and brought us along when she didn't have a sitter for us. I learnt by copying whatever the teacher told her to do."

"Your turn."

John shot her an incomprehensible look as he got up to pick his ball. Strangely enough, he went for the ball that he'd told Clarice was too heavy for him. She cocked her head curiously. Maybe he was trying to prove something.

His shirt tightened across his back as he picked up the ball, eyeing the pins down the lane. Clarice was slightly to ashamed to admit that her mouth went a little dry at the sight.

She opened her mouth to say something, already feeling bad about showing him up when he'd gone to all the trouble to planning the date and bringing her somewhere fun.

"John, I - "

Was all she got out before he took three quick steps and bowled a strike so fast that the noise of the pins crashing down reverberated across the bowling alley.

Clarice's mouth fell open.

"You!" 

He turned around, grinning, with his hands already up to fend off the attack that he knew was coming. John laughed as he held her wrists back from smacking him, wrangling them back their seats. 

"You made me feel bad for you! And you could bowl!"

The smile he flashed her was cocksure, and attractive, and Clarice shivered, reminding herself that she was still on a mini rampage. She jabbed at his initial score. "What was that!"

He shrugged, "I had to see if you could play. I didn't want to show you up before I knew how good you were." He still hadn't let go of her and she stared up at him, a mixture of insult and want coiling around her insides and stilling her from breaking free of his grip. 

John slowly slid his hands up her arms, pulling her closer to him and she stumbled into him with a small gasp. Being so close, she felt him shiver at the contact and it gratified her to know that he was as affected by their new status of relationship as she was. Clarice felt so grateful, that she had fallen for one of her best friends, that it could be like this, light and free. But there was time to dwell on that later. For now ...

"You're going down, Proudstar," she took advantage of his distraction to jab him lightly in the side with her elbow, striding away to pick her ball for the next frame to the sound of his surprised laughter.

She looked back at him, scoffing. John simply shrugged it off, leaning back into the hard plastic chair with a wide smirk, raising a hand and moving his fingers in the universal gesture of 'come on'.

"Bring it."

-

Clarice returned her shoes in triumphant glee, clapping her hands as John returned his, vibrating with excitement as she waited for them to head out into the parking lot. The excitement was enough that she found the courage to take his hand as they exited, almost skipping with every step.

John pulled her back to slow down, enjoying the walk with her hand in his, and threading his fingers with hers. "Not a word."

"Not one then, just many. I won, Proudstar. That's three words." 

Clarice wiggled her hips in a mini celebratory dance, quickening her pace to catch up with John's longer strides, slow as they were.

"You're lucky I already like you, and that I'm not a sore loser."

"And you're lucky I like you. Because I'm awesome."

"Oh, really now?"

They'd already reached the passenger side of John's truck, and he drew them to a stop, with Clarice looking up questioningly at him. The look in John's eyes was unreadable.

"I'm the lucky one?" John asked with another one of the small smiles that Clarice liked, looking down at their linked hands, still swinging freely. 

What was he getting at? "Yes?" Clarice ventured slowly.

"Yeah," his voice was getting lower. Clarice was most definitely shivering because of the cooler night air and not because of what the low timbre of his voice was doing to her insides. "Yeah, I'm definitely the lucky one."

He took a step forward, and another, even as Clarice took a step back, leaning against his truck. She peered up at him breathlessly. The air between them seemed to turn heavier, more weighted somehow and she felt her breath catch in her throat.

Taking another step into her space slowly, John never let his eyes leave her face. The speed at which he moved, it was so slow, so unlike him. Clarice was used to seeing him make split second decisions, run forward in defence of their friends, always always like he was running out of time. But not this time. It was like he was giving her the space and time she needed to push him away if she wished to. Like he was giving her room to breathe.

Except that she didn't have room to breathe. With John this close to her, she hated herself for using the cliche but it felt like he was taking her breath away. He was all that she could see, sense, hear or feel. And it was overwhelming her.

Her knees threatened to buckle and she fought to keep herself upright, leaning harder against his truck. It felt like doing so would break them out of this moment.

With his free hand, John reached up to stroke gently at her cheek, thumb brushing across her cheekbone with slow sweeping strokes. 

"Okay?" He whispered, moving just that little bit closer.

How did the atmosphere change so quickly from playful to this? Clarice couldn't think with John this close to her, and she couldn't remember how they got here. But she knew she didn't want him to stop touching her.

Like before, Clarice nodded, bringing her hand up to close over his, pressing his hand to her cheek. She sensed, rather than saw, him shudder at the touch. And she felt the need to say it, "Okay," she whispered back.

Closing the gap, John covered her lips with his, kissing her gently. Clarice's knees did buckle this time, at the contact. But she trusted John to hold her up.

John Proudstar. Her best friend. Her best friend that she'd eventually came to see as more than a friend, but as someone who she could always rely on, and someone who she wished would rely on her too, for everything and more.

Coming up just onto her toes, she pressed back to the kiss, smiling into it as John dropped her other hand to slide his into her hair. Anchoring herself to him, Clarice wrapped an arm around his waist, revelling in the warmth and in the tingles that she still felt up and down her spine. 

This was not their first kiss. Not even their second.

Then why did she still feel like she was floating on air?

All too soon, John had pulled away, grinning like a fool as he gazed at her. Clarice's hair was slightly mussed from where John was tugging at it, but she couldn't find it within her to care and she beamed back at him. Still holding onto him, she stepped back into the circle of his arms, leaning her head onto his broad chest and sighing contentedly. 

She felt his lips on her forehead, and she snuggled into him further.

"John?"

"Yeah?"

Her stomach let out a gurgle, and he laughed as she wrinkled her nose, "I'm hungry."

"Dinner at your favourite spaghetti place?"

"Really?"

"I already made reservations."

Clarice strained upwards, pressing a quick kiss to his jaw and dropping back down before he could react.

"I'm the real lucky one here."

And if he continued smiling at her like that, they were never going to make it to dinner.

**Author's Note:**

> i couldn't let the idea of high school thunderblink go so i decided to expand it into a series of ficlets that can be read as both standalone and together :) hope you like! let me know if you do?
> 
> tumblr: [here](http://ltfrankcastle.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [here](http://twitter.com/ltfrankcastie)


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